ANC demands apology for racist remarks
The Western Cape ANC condemns the flare-up of racism on social networks such as Twitter and Facebook in the recent past.
People who indulge in such slur and derogatory or hateful references should apologise to all South Africans.
It includes model Jessica Leandra dos Santos who caused an outrage today on Twitter with her reference to an "arrogant and disrespectful k*ffir" she wanted to punch in a supermarket and added it is "these kinds of people that land up raping young girls of our country".
Western Cape ANC leader (deputy minister for international relations and cooperation) Marius Fransman says such racism is unacceptable and must not be tolerated.
"It is not the first time the model let rip like that. In a previous tweet after an incident with a petrol assistant she referred to 'rude African monkeys'. She deleted the offensive messages today after pressure and losing sponsors.
"There is an upsurge of such racist references in the province. Especially since Western Cape premier and DA leader Helen Zille referred to isiXhosa speaking school children as ‘refugees' and those objecting to it as ‘xenophobic' causing a pseudo outrage, many people may think Zille's remark has created impunity to be racist," says Fransman.
In the Western Cape we even saw another hairdresser turning away a client in Blaauwberg, in the Cape metro-area. On networks like Facebook there is a flare-up of racist and intolerant messages.
A certain Ken Sinclair, Cape Peninsula University of Technology city campus student, in an exchange seem to think blacks are "f_ all without whites" are all "f_ brain dead monkeys" that "always skinner (gossip) in their retarded language" and would still be in "little mud huts" without whites. He added: "a day at Cape Tech, in town, you will wana join the KKK" (extremist Ku Klux Klan) and as soon as blacks get into a country "they pull it through their a_ and turn the place into a sh_ hole". One Michael Kallis replied: "Sometimes I just wanna pull out a f_ pump-action shot gun and do the deed. F_.
Fransman says: "I challenge Zille to unconditionally apologise in public before Tuesday for her illiberal behaviour with that message as well as the hogwash she offered in defence of the indefensible, and condemn such racism such as that of the model, hairdresser and student.
"Zille must lead by example in a province that is viewed as the most racist and as a leader of her party. She cannot be seen to defend the hairdresser, anyone else or her own indiscresion. I ask this in the name of non-racialism and demand her apology on behalf of poor white and black people like those of African, coloured and Indian decedents."
Statement issued by ANC Western Cape leader, Marius Fransman, May 4 2012
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